Money WondersPlay

Money & Its HistoryWhat Money Is

What Is Money, Really?

Swap it, price with it, save it, and believe in it

A stone at the bottom of the sea once made a family rich. A bill printed with 100 trillion dollars ended up worthless. Why?

You'll find out

  • Six things people paid with
  • Why paper is worth anything
  • How a currency dies

Why it matters

Your paycheck is paid in it. Knowing what money really is shows you the game you're playing.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 2 · Zone 1

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More in this zone

  1. 1Modern MoneyWhere Is Your Money?Your balance is a number on a screen; only about one US dollar in ten exists as cash
  2. 3Time and MoneyWhat's Your Hour Really Worth?Your real hourly wage is lower than your paycheck says
  3. 4CoinsThe Four-Cent PennyMaking a cent cost the US Mint almost four, so in 2025 it stopped
  4. 5History of MoneyFrom Shells to CoinsCowrie shells, silver lumps and the first stamped coins
  5. 6History of MoneyThe Barter MythTextbooks say people bartered before money. Anthropologists can't find it
  6. 7History of MoneyPaper PromisesThe first paper money was an IOU you could pass on
  7. 8History of MoneyWhy It's Called a DollarThe name started in a silver mine in Bohemia
  8. 9OpportunityAcres of DiamondsIn a famous 1890 lecture, a farmer sells his land to hunt the world for diamonds; the next owner finds them in the backyard stream